Teacher Who Solicited Child Porn From Loudoun Girl Pleads Guilty

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A man from Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to child pornography charges after an investigation started by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The man, Matthew Holland, solicited sexually explicit photos from a girl in Loudoun County, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

The investigation began when the girl in Loudoun County reported to police that Holland had coerced her into sending inappropriate photos, authorities said. Holland was arrested in May 2020 after an investigation revealed dozens of other victims in Western New York and New Jersey.

From October 2019 to February 2020, Holland was employed as a teaching assistant at the Canandaigua YMCA in New York. He supervised children who were aged 3 to 12. On one occasion, Holland photographed five girls as they were changing out of their swimsuits in the YMCA locker room, the Department of Justice said.

Holland was also active on social media. Authorities said he would pose as a teenaged boy and engaged minors in sexually explicit conversations. Holland would solicit sexually explicit photos from the children, and would threaten to publish the photos online if victims did not send him more pornography, according to the news release.

The Department of Justice also said Holland secretly recorded children as they undressed at his photography studio, Illumination Images, in Newark. He used a hidden device to record children as they undressed in the studio's changing room, the news release said.

Holland pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 year and a maximum sentence of 50 years.

Holland's sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2021.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center can provide information about reporting and coping with sexual abuse. Their website also features training materials and tips to prevent sexual abuse.